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Review | Rend the Dark by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Rend the Dark by Mark Gelineau and Joe KingRelease date: October 15th, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley

The great Ruins are gone. The titans. The behemoths. All banished to the Dark and nearly forgotten. But the cunning ones, the patient ones remain. They hide not in the cracks of the earth or in the shadows of the world. But inside us. Wearing our skin. Waiting. Watching.

Once haunted by visions of the world beyond, Ferran now wields that power to hunt the very monsters that he once feared. He is not alone. Others bear the same terrible burden. But Hunter or hunted, it makes no difference. Eventually, everything returns to the Dark.

This is the fourth short story that I have read from the Echoes of the Ascended series by Mark Gelineau and Joe King. The more I read of the series, the more I love it! Slowly but surely all the connections between the characters are becoming clear and the world of Aedaron is developing into a very complete and complex realm. The novella is a much darker affair than the others and mixes the fantasy and horror genres really well.

The novella follows Ferran and Mireia who are witch hunters from the Order of Talan. This means that they have the ability to see the monsters in the dark that hide amongst the human population. Ferran and Mireia are sent to a small village where they team up with Warden Aker and two magistrates, Hil and Riffolk, to solve the mysterious disappears of people in the area.

I was automatically hooked from the beginning. As with the other short stories in the series, it featured a prologue that introduced Ferran as a young child in an orphanage who was haunted by the fact that he could see the monsters. I immediately wanted to know more! Later, he’s a highly trained warrior who has embraced the fact that he can see the hidden evil in the world. You don’t learn much about him but I think that works in favour of the story because him being so mysterious makes you want to read more. While Ferran is quite closed off, his partner Mireia (again another strong female character) brings a very emotional and human element to the story. Her interactions with Hil, who represented the “ordinary” person, really added depth to the story.

Again, another wonderful addition to the Echoes of the Ascended series. I am very looking forward to reading the sequel, Skinshaper, which will be released in March.